The Art
by Dream-Work-Achieve
Summary: What if there was another brother? A brother who is artistically talented and seems to constantly have his head in the clouds. What if he was adopted also, so no blood relation? OR A harem between my anxiety-driven OC and the wolves of Brothers Conflict.
1. Chapter 1

**Today is the day I see my brothers again. After a year of traveling around, showing my art work and selling off quite a few pieces, it was finally time for me to settle down from all the praises and constant manipulation. The constant talking to people, trying to get onto their better side. I'm so tired, I'd rather paint all day and through the night, not having any contact with people.**

 **Is it so selfish of me to want that?**

* * *

Hey hey!

So this is a new Brothers Conflict fanfiction I'm starting, because I was itching just to post it. I'm still continuing my first fanfiction so no worries about that. Though I'm still new to writing and still experimenting a lot, so some chapters might have a different writing style but I'll try to keep it mostly the same. I'm trying to revise my other fanfiction because god knows I can't understand what the hell I wrote. It's so embarrassing to read the earlier chapters, it's like I just threw up on my keyboard and decided to not clean it up, BLEGH.

Though I hope you, either new or is reading my other fanfiction, reader enjoy this new and, in my opinion, FUCKING cool fanfiction.

So yeah...

Toodles!

Dream-Work-Achieve


	2. Chapter 2

"Are you excited to go back?"

"Ah."

"Have you packed everything?"

"Uh-huh."

"Did you book a hotel for the layover?"

"Mnn."

"Can I fuck you?"

"Sur- wait, what?"

"Good you payed attention," a man smirked, his tattooed arms crossed. He was relishing the last moments he could tease the androgynous man sitting in front of him.

Said androgynous man was hunched over his battered sketchbook, an HB pencil was gripped between his long and slender fingers. His colorful hair was pulled into a low ponytail that reached the small of his back. An ink stain covered his right cheek, a sight which happened basically every day, resulting him to give up trying to remove it during the day.

"You know Artea **1** , you're gonna become the hunchback of Notre Dame if you keep hunching like that," the tattooed man lightly ran his hand over the bump, his touch filled with fondness.

The androgynous, now known as Artea, only grunted in response and to spite his partner, bent himself over his sketchbook even more, making the partner frown.

"Geez, you really need to go to the doctor's Arty **2**."

"Don't call me Arty," Artea straightened himself and sent his partner a nasty glare which was half-hearted. His eyes widened suddenly, an idea for a new project flitted through his mind, making his widened eyes glaze over.

 _'_ _I could make a pencil sketch of depression, a person in motion with his back hunched over-'_

 ** _"_** ** _Artea!"_**

 _'_ _Then there's a cloud of the real world, in color, hovering over the person's back-'_

 ** _"_** ** _Arty!"_**

 _'_ _I would need to research on what causes the most cases of depression-'_

 ** _"_** ** _Can you hear me?!"_**

 _'_ _Should I use watercolor pencils or maybe even pastels-'_

 ** _"_** ** _Godammit Artea!"_**

 _'_ _Should I sketch the person with charcoal or-'_

Artea was, in a literal sense, smacked out of his musings by his partner. His cheek throbbed and he knew it was already an apple red, due to his pale, almost porcelain, skin.

"Did you really have to do that, Ray?" Artea rubbed his abused cheek, squinting his eyes even more, so that they were almost closed. Across from him, Ray, full name Raynold, grinned widely, revealing his sharpened teeth.

Artea sighed and signaled the waitress for a cold water bottle. The woman scurried over, blushing at the handsome, even beautiful, man. Artea murmured his gratitude and pressed the cold bottle against his cheek, hissing at the sudden cold.

He mind started to drift again, numerous things running through his mind; some silly and some borderline stupid. Though his constant thoughts circled around his brothers back in Japan, which he was going to see soon.

 _'_ _I wonder if they've changed in one year?'_

 _'_ _Does Yusuke still do track? Is Hikaru the same free spirit?'_

His breathing started speeding, a panic attack was on its way if he didn't stop his worried thinking, but he couldn't seem to end hurricane of thoughts.

 _'_ _Will my new sister like me? Will Wataru still cuddle with me?-'_

 ** _"_** ** _Art-!"_**

 _'_ _Will my brothers forgive my sudden departure?'_

 ** _"_** ** _Ar-!"_**

 _'_ _Am I selfish to go back to them when I just up and left them?'_

 ** _"_** ** _Arty!"_**

 _'_ _I am so worthless-'_

 **"** **ARTEA!"**

He was again wrenched from his thoughts, a worried Ray was hovering over him, hands gripping his shoulders. Artea wilted under the concerned gaze of his partner, self-degrading thoughts picking up an even faster pace in his mind.

"Arty, stop the damn wallowing. Your brothers are gonna be happy to see you, so fucking cheer up and start drawing unicorns!"

The straightforward words of his friend seemed to always calm him down, even making him giggle or laugh at some the words.

 _'_ _I wonder what will happen if he isn't there to calm me down.'_

Ray leaned back from his hovering position and reached into his jean's pocket, pulling out a rectangular object. Artea observed the rectangle, categorizing it as an mp3 player. He gazed up at the man over him, a questioning look in his eyes.

"This mp3 player has my voice recordings, saying different things, some even an hour long. I know you can survive without a week with me, before you start doing stupid things."

Artea's eyes twitched in annoyance at his jab about his mental psyche but he still felt awed that Ray went that far for his sake. He reached out to take the mp3, as his partner continued.

"Each recording has a title of a situation you're most likely to get into, so just choose one and then you'll hear my amazing, sexy voice." He smirked and struck a bodybuilder pose. Artea rolled his eyes and kicked Ray's knee, making him hop on one leg, wincing at the pain.

Artea almost cradled the mp3 player and carefully put it into his messenger back, zipping it back up again. He stood up and engulfed his still hopping friend into a much needed hug.

A couple of waitresses started to furiously whisper to each other, squealing and pointing at the two awkwardly hugging men. Artea rolled his eyes at the giggling women.

 _'_ _Even if two men hug, it doesn't mean they're gay, though technically I'm half gay but Ray is as straight as a ruler'_

Artea pulled back from his friend, and shakily smiled. He squared his shoulders, grabbed his messenger bag, and walked out of the little café to call a taxi, trusting his partner to pay the bill.

 _'_ _Japan hear I come again!'_

 **Meanwhile**

A gorgeous woman was flirting with two men, a finger twirled her orange hair as she spoke sweet words. Her phone suddenly vibrated and she excused herself from the two men, ignoring the slap that met her ass cheek as she walked away.

The orange-haired beauty scrolled through her phone, and suddenly smiled an almost manic smile. The text in her phone screen read:

 **I'm coming back.**

* * *

 **1: Artea pronounced "Ar-tee-yaa"**

 **2: Arty pronounced "Ar-tee"**

* * *

 **Yipeee!**

 **The first chapter bllfdjffjdfkjfnk, I am so happy!**

 **EHEM, back to professional. I'd like to read some reviews if you like it. Maybe some expectations or anything of the like.**

 **Have a Art-tastical day!**

 **Dream-Work-Achieve**


	3. Chapter 3

"Good afternoon everyone, this your captain speaking," crackled the P.A system, "We'll be landing in thirty minutes at Tokyo's international airport, the weather is fairly warm, about 65 degrees Fahrenheit with a slight breeze coming in from the east."

Artea sighed in relief, plane rides had never been his favorite, with a constant nagging feeling that the plane will just fall out of the sky because there was too much on board. He pulled the back of his seat up into an upright position and listened as the captain droned on.

"Be sure to check the overhead bins for your belongings, but open the lids carefully, as the turbulence from before may have shifted them. I hope you had pleasant flight and I wish on behalf of the flight team, a good day."

The P.A crackled once more, before falling silent. The passengers on board started chattering again, some in Japanese, English, or some other language.

Artea released another sigh, this one much more depressing, his seatmate glanced at him in concern, before turning to their friend next to them. Artea turned his head to look out of the circular plane window, he could already see through the clouds the tall towers of Tokyo.

Realization suddenly hit him, leaving him slightly breathless and heart racing. Finally he had some semblance of belonging, even if it wasn't people, then at least it was the land itself and culture that welcomed him.

The seatbelt sign above him lit up, and the tight space was filled with clicking noises as people fastened them. Artea did the same, then gripped the armrests next him as he felt the plane start to descend.

His stomach felt uneasy, doing somersaults inside his body. He bore through the descent, albeit eyes closed. As the plane touched down and bounced a few times, he released the breath he'd been holding.

The plane neared the docking at the airport, he unfastened his seatbelt, ignoring the still lit seatbelt sign. The passengers around him were already on their feet, reaching for their belongings from the overhead bins. A stewardess stood near the bathroom, looking grumpy at the people's disregard to the seatbelt signs.

 _'_ _The only time people listen is when they're in a life or death situation. Then they'd probably eat shit so they could survive.'_

Finally the lit sign above Artea turned off and he stood up. He didn't have any carry-on, just his suitcase that he needed to claim. He shuffled after the people, murmuring a quick good-bye to the stewardess over-seeing the un-boarding passengers.

As he traversed the international airport, avoiding bumping into people as his suitcase rolled after him, his thoughts started to drift back to his brothers, he was anxious as to how his brother's would react to his physical appearance. He was still in his thoughts when and angry woman behind him yelled to get out of the way, probably she was late for her flight.

The passport control and baggage check went by in a flash, and he found himself outside the airport. The shining sun beat down him, a cool breeze blew past him and he felt himself take a deep breath, welcoming the not-co-clean air with fervor.

An empty taxi was already in front him, with the driver waiting by the trunk. Artea pulled his suitcase with him as he neared the taxi, the driver already opening the trunk. He handed over his suitcase and sat himself in the passenger seat.

The driver stepped in and gruffly asked Artea's destination, getting a reply of: "Kichijou, Sunrise apartment complex."

As the taxi got farther away from the airport, a pang of longing hit Artea, his thoughts circling around some of the friends he'd made in America, more importantly around Ray.

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

 _"_ _Masaomi have you told the others about his return?" Ukyo stiffly stood, literally drilling holes into Masaomi._

 _Masaomi, in turn, sweat-dropped, "Hikaru knows and so does Kaname and Louis, the others don't. It would be great to have his arrival as a surprise."_

 _Ukyo shook his head at the man's antics, knowing that his brother's arrival would cause another chaos, rivaling what Ema had brought. Leaving Masaomi to his own devices, he went back to his room and went through the papers for his next case, his mind drifting to the arrival of his brother._

* * *

 _'_ _I'm finally back'_

Artea stood in front of the entrance to the apartment complex, a tight grip on the handle of his suitcase. He scrolled through his phone, searching for a particular contact, and pressed the 'call' button. He'd barely gotten the receiver next to his ear when he heard the soothing voice of his elder brother.

"Hello?" sounded the slightly confused voice of Masaomi. Artea slightly smiled at the familiar tone and shifted his hold on the phone.

"Hi Brother, I'm outside, waiting," the sound of objects falling over met Artea's ears, as Masaomi sprinted toward the entrance. The line went dead and Artea smiled at his brother's excitement.

Artea barely got his thoughts together, when the door was suddenly yanked open, and he was engulfed by a huge figure. The familiar smell of strawberries and hospital met his nose, and he sunk into the warm embrace and blubbering voice of his brother.

Artea dug his nose into Masaomi's shoulder, happy thoughts going through his mind, and he murmured:

 **"I'm back, Brother."**


	4. Chapter 4

"It's good to have you back, Artea," A smiling Ukyo stood in front of him, his crossed arms twitching as he fought the desire to hug his newly-returned brother.

Masaomi next to him nearly vibrated in happiness, his figure bouncing back and forth on his feet. Artea gazed at the two brothers standing in front of him, his eyes yet again glazing over.

 _'_ _They haven't changed a bit.'_

He watched on as Ukyo scolded Masaomi or his 'childish' actions, as Masaomi rubbed the back of his head in a sheepish manner.

 _'_ _Not at all.'_

Artea barely noticed when Ukyo stepped forward and took the his suitcase from him, lips moving in an effort to make a conversation. Masaomi chuckled lightly in the background, as he watched Ukyo fruitlessly talk to Artea.

"Ukyo, you do remember how Arty is? Right?" Ukyo turned to look back at his innocently smiling brother, when his eyes widened in realization. Ukyo rotated back and put his hand on Artea's shoulder, smiling in endearment.

"You're still the same Artea, having your head in the clouds," Ukyo watched in amusement as his brother's eyes suddenly focused at his gesture and words, a blush started to slowly form onto his pale cheeks.

Artea averted his eyes to the ground, his eyes taking on a hooded look, making him look sleepy. He nodded his head slowly in agreement, and swayed on his feet. His ploy worked when Ukyo and Masaomi fretted that he was tired, ushering him to his old room.

"We cleaned your room, all you have to do is unpack and redecorate if you want," Masaomi piped from his position next to Artea, as the three of them trudged towards the elevator.

Ukyo reached from behind them and pressed the button, waiting as the doors opened, before stepping in with his brothers. Artea pressed the button for his room's floor, which was the number three.

A comfortable silence engulfed the small elevator space as the brothers waited for the small ring, signaling the arrival to their designated floor.

Artea's thoughts started to drift again, barely registering as he was softly pushed from the elevator.

 _'_ _It's nice to be back, thank god I have no plans to travel any time soon.'_

He didn't pay attention as a click sounded, signaling a door being unlocked.

 _'_ _I wonder when will I meet everyone, maybe when I unpack?'_

He was suddenly engulfed by softness, and his thoughts started to drift into darkness. Something soft connected with his forehead, and a quiet click sounded again.

 _'_ _It's great to be back.'_

* * *

 _'_ _I take it back, I don't want to be here!'_

Artea was trudging down the hallway which lead to the living/dining/kitchen, he could already hear excited chatter and the clinking of bowls and plates.

He could recognize Wataru's voice and the playful timber of Tsubaki's. Artea smiled, he could feel the energy and happiness emitting from the end of the hall.

Coming to a sudden stop, he leaned against the wall, a hand on his rapidly beating heart.

 _'_ _I can't do this, what if they hate me?'_

Artea's breathing sped up, a sense of vertigo hitting him.

 _'_ _Will they still laugh if I'm there?'_

Black spots started dancing in front of his eyes, as he hunched over. The strength he had before was sucked out, leaving his legs weak.

 _'_ _Am I worth it? Do I have any worth in this household?'_

 ** _"_** ** _Arty-!"_**

 _'_ _Dammit I shouldn't have come back'_

 ** _"_** ** _Listen to m-"_**

 _'_ _I need Ray, I need him, fuck I left the mp3 player in my room!'_

 ** _"_** ** _Arty-!"_**

 _'_ _No, no, no, nonononononono-'_

 **"** **ARTEA!"**

He was ripped from his anxious thoughts, large hands were grasping his shoulders as the person holding them bent down to his level.

Artea's eyes were captured by Masaomi's concerned gaze, the warm brown eyes glinted with worry but also protectiveness.

"Artea can you hear me? Nod if you can," he followed Masaomi's instructions, signaling that, yes, he could hear him.

"Okay good, Arty just listen to my voice, okay? Breath with me," Masaomi started to count, pacing his breathing. Artea followed suit, calming down at his brother's soothing voice. They continued on as Artea's breathing went back to normal.

"You're doing good Arty, just a little more," the encouraging words of his brother, dispelled the last of his anxiety as he stopped shaking. Instead he smiled at Masaomi, a smile so sad that the brother's eyes teared.

Masaomi pulled Artea into a hug, patting and stroking his hair and back, while humming under his breath. Artea whimpered into his elder brother's shoulder, gripping desperately at the back of his coat.

"Do you feel better Arty?" said person nodded against Masaomi's shoulder, his grip relenting as the brother pulled away. Masaomi stared into Artea's eyes, seeing the war going on inside him, knowing that there wasn't any way he could take away his younger brother's pain. He could only support him in times of need.

Artea could see the self-blame in Masaomi's eyes, he pat his shoulder and pulled his brother's arm, steering them towards the excited chatter emitting from the beyond the hallway's entrance.

A sense of determination entered him, a new goal took form in his head. A goal that he would struggle to accomplish, even to the grave.

 _'_ _I will get better, so they can be happy.'_


	5. Chapter 5

"No way!"

"Arty!"

"You're back?!"

' _You don't say?'_

Artea stood near the entrance where he and Masaomi had emerged from, both watching in amusement as most of the brothers tripped over themselves to reach Artea.

Tsubaki and Azusa were currently struggling on the floor, well, it was more Tsubaki being stepped on by Azusa and Tsubaki trying to trip him in return. Hikaru, Iori, and Kaname were all blocking each other with their arms. Yuusuke and Fuuto were engaged in an all-out brawl, while Louis snuck up behind Artea.

Wataru and Ukyo both stood to the side, one looking on in confusion the other in exasperation. The only female of the household, Ema, sat bewildered on the sofa, with Juli hissing on her shoulder at the sudden rise of testosterone .

' _How long do I have to stand here?'_

Artea was pulled out of his musings when a pair of arms wrapped around him from behind, bringing him into a soft but firm body.

"Arty, I missed you so much," Louis's melodic voice sounded near his ear, as the arms around him tightened into an almost possessive hold.

Artea smiled softly at his brother's melodic voice, a new calm settled over him as he leaned into the familiar hold of his closest brother.

The struggling brothers halted, as they glared at the hugging pair, the object of their hate was safely hidden behind their object of affection.

The brawlers suddenly crowded around the pair, pushing a giggling Masaomi to the side. Artea was brazenly ripped from Louis's embrace, and was passed around like a toy. The gathered brothers each took a turn to hug him but they couldn't utter anything to him, because he was again pulled from their hold.

Thus began another battle to hug Artea and whisper into his ear, just like Louis had done.

' _I don't want to be here anymore!'_

Artea frantically looked around and locked eyes with Masaomi.

' _Time to bring out the big guns.'_

He widened his eyes at Masaomi and pouted, taking on the all famous puppy-dog look. Feeling sorry for his little brother, Masaomi started towards the rabid group holding Artea hostage, but came to a halt.

Calm and stoic Ukyo was suddenly wielding a pan and smacking the brothers on their heads, the sun's rays reflected off of his spectacles sinisterly as he whacked each brother.

' _I forgot about Ukyo's pan, I fucking gave it to him!'_

The living room's occupants formed a straight line, eldest to youngest, with over half of the brothers sporting a red bump on their head.

Masaomi and Ukyo flanked Artea, as they stood in front of the line. Ukyo cleared his throat and stood with his arms crossed, stance wide.

"As you all can see, our precious brother is back. Now we all discussed how we would welcome him, do you all remember?"

Ukyo glared at all the brothers, his lips twitching upwards.

"When Artea would come into the room-"

The lined-up brothers shuffled their feet.

"We would line-up in front of him and-"

The brothers suddenly grinned menacingly.

" **GROUP HUG HIM!"**

The thundering yell was a signal for the males in the room, and for Artea it was a sign that his life would end in the next seconds to come, so like any normal person, he whirled around on his feet and started back towards the hallway he came from. Unfortunately for him, Masaomi and Ukyo had flanked him for that purpose and suddenly latched onto him.

For the next ten minutes Artea suffered with blood and oxygen loss, causing him to go unconscious, thus forcing the brothers to call the ambulance.

Just kidding.

Artea did suffer, his penchant to avoid any human contact did not bode him well as the brothers crowded around him, each trying to wrap their arms around him. The victim himself was struggling, like really struggling, but the overflow of all the brother's strength was too much, and he resigned himself to his fate.

Ema was still at the same spot she had been when the unfamiliar male came in, she was shocked at the ball of brothers in the middle of the room.

"Juli, what is going on?" Ema incredulously whispered to the squirrel, said recipient was also baffled at the Wolve's actions. Attacking a fellow male in a hug was a rare thing in this household, except for the White-haired twin and Wataru.

"It's mating season?" Juli offered, his voice wavering at his suggestion. Ema looked at Juli in disbelief, shocked at the audacity of the squirrel.

While the remaining two puzzled over the reasons for the brothers behavior, the group in the middle slowly started disassemble, revealing a white-faced Artea.

As the last brother let go, Artea collapsed onto the ground, his knees weak from the sudden influx of human contact, he hadn't been touched by that many people in his whole years of living.

All the males crowded around him, making Artea feel even worse, a panic attack was well underway. His breathing hitched up and he went even paler in the face, he could feel the rapid beating of his heart and the sudden rush of blood flow in his head, making him dizzy.

Darkness started close in on Artea, as his torso started towards floor, the last thing he heard was Masaomi's frantic voice.

" _ **Let me through!"**_


	6. Chapter 6

Artea's fainting spell sent the brothers into a panic, so much so, that they forgot they had a certified doctor in their midst, and resulted running around in panic.

Masaomi dodged the hysterical brothers and knelt down next to the figure on the floor, he checked the important vital signs and deemed the situation to be safe.

' _Passed out from exhaustion and a panic attack most likely, never a dull moment with you Arty,'_ Masaomi thought fondly, his figure rising from the floor with Artea safely in his arms. He strode out of the room, with the rest of the brothers following him, still panicking and yelling out theories to Artea's sudden condition.

Ema and Juli were even more confused than before, their minds so stumped that they didn't notice the arrival of Ukyo in front of them.

"Ema?" Ukyo looked at the female in concern, slightly smiling when Ema shook her head and looked at him with wide, confused eyes.

"You are wondering who and what just happened?" Ema nodded at the inquiry, almost knocking off Juli from her shoulder, who squaked indignantly in return.

"That was our brother who just came from his gallery tour, his _circumstances_ make him the most doted on brother in this household," Ukyo emphasized the word 'circumstances' his eyes narrowing in either anger or worry.

Ema's eyes widened even more, her mind focusing on the notion that she had another brother, and also the drawback that he might also force himself on her like some of the others. Ukyo noticed the flicker of dread in her eyes, and caught onto what she thought.

"Don't worry, he's homosexual," He then strode away, feeling hurt that Ema thought so little of his brothers.

Ema looked at his departing figure in bewilderment and slight shame, whilst Juli looked on in anger at the lawyer's careless words to Ema.

Masaomi strode towards the door of Artea's bedroom, the brothers behind him still yelling out concerns and asking questions. The eldest brother ignored all of them and slammed the door in front of them, smirking at the muffled pained yelps.

He set Artea down onto his bed and drew the blanket up to his chin, tucking him in like he used to when Artea was small child.

"Masa?"

Masaomi stilled at the frail voice, his mind dredging up bad memories that involved Artea and that same weak sounding voice, his jaw clenched in anger.

"Love you, Masa."

Said brother stilled and smiled, his eyes gazing at the lying figure in adoration and awe.

' _Like I said before, never a dull moment with you, dear Arty,'_

Masaomi bent over his younger brother, and kissed his temple, subconsciously marveling at the softness of Artea's skin, and then stood up. He slipped through the door and looked back one more time at the sleeping figure, before closing the door and scolding the brothers still making a fuss.

"Artea is fine, just a little overwhelmed and exhausted, so be quiet and let him sleep," Masaomi's dark side came out, causing the brothers to shiver in fear. They obeyed and shuffled back to the living room with their heads bowed and hands drooping.

Ema was still standing on the same spot, looking at the oncoming brothers in worry because of the dark aura surrounding each one. Silence raged on for a few minutes, before one of the brtohers broke.

"I can't take it anymore! I want to see Arty!" Tsubaki hung off of his twin, Azusa, and whined into his shoulder.

"We just saw him five minutes ago Tsubaki, stop your complaining," Azusa stated matter of factly, tightening his tie while struggling with Tsubaki's weight.

"That was so long ago!" Tsubaki yelled out and abandoned his brother perch and lunged at Ema, hugging her around the waist, "Give me a kiss Ema, make your Brother happy!"

Ema's eyes widened in shock and she started waving her hands around, stuttering at the overbearing brother's rather provocative statement. Yusuke's red hair was a blur a he sped over to Ema, and started tugging Tsubaki around the waist, grunting at the heavy weight.

"You are fucking fat, Tsubaki!" Yusuke yelled out in frustration as the silver haired male still clung onto Ema, even tightening his hold on the flustered female. He ignored the dark glare from Masaomi and the mutter from Ukyo that sounded like: "There are children here."

Meanwhile, the other brothers sat on the sofa, watching on in amusement as Tsubaki cried in defeat, when Yusuke somehow yanked him away from Ema. The noise level seemed to rise as each brother started conversing with each other, a few wrestled while the rest talked calmly. The eldest brother's eye twitched as Wataru started complaining loudly that he wanted to play.

"Will you please, just BE QUIET!" Masaomi bit out. The whole room was enveloped in silence, as each individual person stared disbelievingly at the normally calm and mellow male. Masaomi's lips twitched in amusement at some of the comical poses the rest of brother's seemed to be in. Yusuke had somehow ended up on Tsubaki's back and Kaname had for some reason been tugging Iori's hair and clothes.

"If you have all forgotten, we have someone very important who is very exhausted and overwhelmed. That person would also like to rest for a little while, so please, sit down and let's talk civilly," Masaomi ushered Wataru to the sofa, taking a seat next to the chattering boy.

The rest of the brothers sat down, one by one, unconsciously letting Ema sit down in the middle of the sofa. As the last brother sat down, Ema came out with the big question:

"Was that another brother?"


	7. Chapter 7

_**"Was that another brother?"**_

Ukyo sighed at Ema's question, his irritation showing through his stance at Ema's unbelievably short attention span.

"Yes, Ema, that is our brother, like I _said before,_ he just finished his gallery tour. "

Ema's eyes widened, not noticing the jab at her person.

"Gallery tour?" Ema inquired.

Ukyo sighed again, his life force seemingly flowing out of him. Masaomi noticed his brothers flailing patience, and took over the explaining.

"Aa, Artea is actually a pretty famous artist. He's popular for his depiction of illnesses of all sorts. I think he interviews and observes people who suffer, just to capture their struggles in one hand-drawn picture!"

Masaomi finished off with a flourish, his pride and awe for his brother clearly showing through his voice and gestures. Ema looked taken aback but still excited at the same time to meet this new brother.

The brother's around them smiled, their amazing brother was truly hard-working and good-hearted. His selflessness had helped people around the world and he seemingly made everything brighter, especially for them.

Masaomi cleared his throat, slightly embarrassed that he'd carried off, turning serious again, he gave his brothers an evil eye.

"Now you better not bother Artea, or else I will get Ukyo a new pan."

All the males, excluding Ukyo and Masaomi, paled at the thought of their brothers wrath, the bumps on their heads throbbing, reminding them of the pain.

They all scattered, leaving Ukyo and Masaomi staring bemusedly and a bewildered squirrel and Ema in their wake.

* * *

A pale hand shot through the sheets, a ruffled head popping up from the confines of the blanket. Artea's sleepy face appeared, his eyes drooping. He looked around, not recognizing the room he'd just woke up in.

 _'Have I been kidnapped?'_

The sound of footsteps caught his attention, trepidation coming upon him as the steps stopped outside his door. He clutched onto his blanket and hunched down, keeping his eyes on the door as the knob turned.

The door swung open and in came a handsome male with blonde hair, his clothing fluttering around him.

' _Kaname?'_

Artea looked at his brother in shock, not believing that he'd kidnapped him.

"Kaname, did you kidnap me?"

Said brother froze in his tracks, the smile disappearing from his face. He stood there for a minute, staring at Artea blankly, before turning around and marching out the door.

A few minutes passed, with Artea still feeling lost, when Kaname marched in again towing a confused Masaomi by the collar of his shirt. Kaname pulled him forward and pushed him to Artea, while hissing:

"Fix him!"

Masaomi blanched at his brother and turned around to the doe-eyed male on the bed. He smiled reassuringly at his trembling brother and pet his hair.

"Now Arty, what is it?" cooed Masaomi, Artea relaxed at his brother's voice but then stilled again, as he didn't remeber how he got here.

"I..um..don't remeber, ah, how I got here?" Artea's explanation sounded more like a question, Masaomi started to chuckle at his brother's sheepish look.

"You finished your gallery tour and decided to come back, you fainted yesterday when we all hugged you, Arty," Artea's eyes sparked with recognition, before his face turned red when Masaomi brought up his embarrassing moment. He looked at the impatient monk behind Masaomi, and smiled weakly at him.

"I'm sorry for accusing you as a kidnapper, Kaname," the accused-now-made-innocent brother beamed at his younger counterpart, and strode over to the bed, hauling Artea out of it and into his arms.

"Now Artea, how are you going to make it up to me?" Kaname whispered into Artea's ear, "How about a short service in my room, what do you think about that?"

Artea's face burst into a red color, his mind racing at his brother's innuendo, the fact that he hadn't done 'it' for awhile, didn't help his mind to not conjure up naughty things.

The door banged open again, as a mountain of brothers collapsed onto eachother. Their protests creating a huge ruckus for Artea's ears and even more embarrassment when he made out what they said.

"That's not fair Kaname, you have to share!"

"The fuck you monk, you ain't gonna taint Arty with your incensed robes and shitty lines!"

"I'll only allow it, if you give me the 'you know what'"

"What 'you know what'?"

"Oh, it's for Artea, for reasearch purposes."

"Oh oka—wait! F-for th-that?!"

"GUYS, Artea's virtue is on the line here!"

For once Artea had never been more grateful that he had such a weak concious, his mind drifted off as he slumped into his brothers arms in a dead faint. The brothers looked on in silence as Artea breathed peacfully, before it was broken by Kaname.

"I'll take him to my room, so I can keep an eye on him!"

Chaos ensued after that.


	8. Chapter 8

It was evening when Artea came back from the land of unconsciousness, he rose up from the rumpled sheets like an undead coming back to life. He was confused again as to why his surroundings were unrecognizable but the transpired events from before came flooding back.

 _'Great, I embarrassed myself in front of my new sister!'_

Artea rubbed his face in anger and huffed into the palms of his hands.

 _'Why the hell do I even bother?'_

He gathered what was left of his pride and scooted out of the bed. The sheets piled up on the floor and he slipped on a corner, his backside meeting the floor with a loud thump. A pang of pain started from his tailbone and went up to his spine, causing his head to ache.

The door abruptly swung open, revealing a worried Masaomi in casual clothes. The sudden arrival of Masaomi startled Artea making him turn his head in the door's direction, worsening his already aching head. Artea hunched over and rested his forehead against his knees whilst Masaomi quickly strode next to him and bent down.

"Are you okay, Arty?" Masaomi asked softly.

Artea grunted in response and leaned against Masaomi, snuggling into his side. Masaomi pets his hair fondly, his younger brother reminding him of a disgruntled cat.

Their peaceful moment was ruined by the appearance of another brother, Yusuke, who stared in disbelief at the two cuddling figures on the floor. His face went as red as his hair and metaphorical steam came out of his ears as he pointed at the two.

"W-what the fuck are you doing, Masaomi!?"

Artea's ears rang at the loud exclamation and he curled even further into himself. Masaomi wrapped his arms fully around him and craned his neck to glare at Yusuke, who in turn cowered before his gaze.

"If you don't mind, but Arty has a bit of a headache," Masaomi stated icily, his closed eyes curved into two smiles.

usukee nodded frantically, his survival instincts kicking in at the killer intent coming from the normally placated brother. He stuttered something vaguely about dinner and scrambled away from the door.

 _'I forgot that Masaomi has always been overprotective of Arty_.'

Meanwhile, Masaomi continued to pet his brother's colorful hair, combing the long strands and admiring the vibrant colors. Artea breathed calmly through his nose, taking comfort in his brother's caring embrace.

"Thank you, Masa," Artea murmured into Masaomi's shirt, feeling extremely warm in his arms.

Masaomilooked down at Artea's hidden face, his whole being feeling complete at the return of his brother, his other half. He lay his cheek against Artea's hair and softly said: "Anything for you, Arty."

* * *

As Yusuke jogged away from Artea's room, he couldn't help but feel something uncomfortably close to jealousy of the scene he'd left. He couldn't help but remember all the times he'd held and been held against Artea. He shook his head of the bad feeling and pushed the past memories back into the far corners of his mind as he came upon his family having dinner.

Yusuke's arrival was noticed by all of them and every person at the table, including squirrel, looked at him expectantly. A bead of sweat made way down his temple, his mental defenses kicking in at the sudden amount of attention.

"What the hell are you all looking at?" Yusuke barked in anger.

The seated members were taken aback by the sudden hostility, with some of them bristling at the attitude shown by their younger counterpart. Fuuto calmly set his ricebowl on the table, ignoring the tension in the air. He looked at Yusuke and raised his eyebrow.

"Are you just retarded or you actually forget to call down Artea and Masaomi?" Fuuto drawled in an unimpressed tone, feeling satisfied with Yusuke's reddening face.

Yusuke opened his mouth to retaliate but stopped when he remembered what he'd seen in Artea's room. He took a deep breath and frowned while crossing his arms.

"They're busy," Yusuke grunted.

Fuuto scowled at his brother's rather calm disposition and snarkily replied: "With what?"

"How about with something that's none of your business," Yusuke shot back and strode to his seat next to Ema, plopping heavily onto the seat and taking a swig of orange juice. Fuuto stewed at his failure to rile up Yusuke and turned his attention to the only female of the household.

"Hey stupid, hand me the dango," Fuuto demanded.

Ema looked at him in bewilderment, feeling hurt at the insult that was thrown at her for no reason. She dejectedly rose to give the plateful of fish to Fuuto but stopped when a hand halted her movement. She followed the hand up and saw Ukyo staring sternly at Fuuto, his lips set in a thin line.

"Fuuto, you will apologize at once and go up to your room," Ukyo stated calmly, lowering his arm when Ema sat down again. Fuuto glared at Ukyo and leaned over the table.

"You're not my Mom you four-eyed degenerate," Fuuto hissed and kicked his chair back, stuffing his hands into his pockets and calmly walked away from the table, leaving the overall atmosphere morose.

* * *

This was the situation that Artea and Masaomi stumbled upon when they both felt their stomachs growl in hunger. They were walking shoulder to shoulder, with Masaomi chattering about his patients and the hospital staff and Artea attentively listening to him.

Their joyful mood was cut off when they came upon the setting of the dining table. The tension was thick in the air, and the brothers looked tense with the youngest of the close to tears and the only female immensely shaken.

Artea took in the sight, bewildered at how negative everything felt. He remembered, before leaving for his gallery tour, that everytime they were all together, it was never filled with tense shoulders and pinched expressions, it was always full of laughter, snarky comebacks, and happy emotions.

The immense contrast saddened Artea, so much so, that his eyes overflowed with tears. He brought his hands up to his mouth to muffle a sob, but it was still loud enough for the whole room to hear. Everyone looked at the shuddering figure of Artea, the males' anger being replaced by worry for their sobbing brother.

One by one they all rushed to the kneeling Artea, they crowded around him and asked for anything they could do. Their heart broke when the fragile voice of Artea spoke:

 _ **"Why aren't you happy?"**_


	9. Chapter 9

**One by one they all rushed to the kneeling Artea, they crowded around him and asked for anything they could do. Their heart broke when the fragile voice of Artea spoke:**

 ** _"Why aren't you happy?"_**

* * *

The aftermath of Artea's meltdown was a melting pot of confusion, frustration, and anger. Masaomi had whisked Artea away in a flurry of white robes and promising gazes. The males of the Sunrise residence had gathered once again around the dining table, their female counterpart having retired to her bed. The atmosphere was grim a the brothers sat facing each other with varying gazes on their faces.

The last of the sun's rays had gone down when they heard the sound of footsteps coming from the hallway leading to Artea's room. From the opening appeared Masaomi, his face clear of the usual softness and childlike curiosity. He stopped at the head of the table, gripping the chairs back.

"Now, if you all haven't forgotten," Masaomi stressed, "Arty is a person with a weak constitution and he should be handled with care."

He started pacing back and forth, not paying attention to the unrest happening among his brothers.

"Let him rest for as long as we can and don't pile unnecessary things onto him. Do not grill him about his travels or anything else, let him situate and be comfortable enough to start speaking about it himself."

Masaomi stopped at each brothers' face, his face uncharacteristically grim, "You do remember what happened last time?"

Masaomi and Ukyo took their leave, leading a tired Wataru between them. The rest of the brothers held their breath until the footsteps faded away, and then mayhem erupted.

"Whoever thought of the group hug thing should be punished!" exclaimed Yuusuke.

"How in the hell do we punish Masaomi? Also, that wasn't even the problem you idiot," Fuuto bluntly answered Yuusuke, making him turn red in anger and starting another argument between them.

Hikaru and Kaname were calmly talking, though their body language hinted worry and frustration.

The rest of the brothers were exchanging heated words, their minds clouded with worry and confusion at their fragile brother's sudden breakdown.

"The last time he broke down like that was when he was 16, and that was because that happened!" Tsubaki muttered loudly, his hair in a dissaray from his hands running through them.

"It's our fault that we didn't make him feel welcomed," Azusa tried placating, "When he wakes up, we'll treat him like we normally would have and try not to overwhelm him. A year is still a long time after all."

Iori and Louis were both silent, their mood sombre.

* * *

 _"Did you really think you could amount to anything?"_ **Yes, I used to.**

 _"Wow, no wonder you're adopted. You're just a waste of space!"_ **Trash.**

 _"You are such an attention whore!"_ **Am I?**

 _"How about you go_ tumble _off that roof again. I can even help you!"_ **Is my death so wante-**

Artea woke up, the whispers in his mind fading away into nothingness as he tried to make sense of where he was.

 _'I passed out again!'_ He thought incredulously.

He raised his hand up to run through his hair and grimaced at the oily feel to it. He'd forgotten that the last time he'd showered was four days ago. He had so much on his mind that he forgot to look after his hygiene.

Artea felt disgusted, the uncleanliness making him uncomfortable in his own skin. So he stood up with an air of determination but quickly stumbled because of how fast he'd got up. He dragged his feet across the room and grabbed his towel and bathrobe off the hook.

 _'If I remember correctly then the showers are on the second floor,'_ he mused to himself as he stepped outside his room. The hallway was empty and the neighbouring rooms seemed to be devoid of life also. Artea felt a bit of relief. He wanted a bit more time to get himself together before he faced his avalanche of brothers.

He took the elevator down and found the shower to be where it always was before and quickly disrobed to step under the spray of water. After a thorough scrubbing of his scalp and body, he noticed something through the foggy mirror.

 _'Damn, my roots are showing. I have to dye my hair again!'_ He sighed to himself and dried himself off. He put on his bathrobe and opened the door to let the steam out.

"Arty?" Sounded a familiar voice. Artea whipped his head around and saw Yusuke standing awkwardly, towel in hand.

"Yusuke!" Artea exclaimed, his heartbeat rose slightly and his alms started to feel clammy. He still didn't feel prepared enough to meet anyone but luck didn't seem to be on his side.

Yusuke looked off to the side, feeling uncomfortable at seeing a sliver of his brother's skin peeking through his bathrobe. He scratched the back of his neck and turned away.

"I'll wait for you to finish," Yusuke said stiffly and started to walk away.

Artea stepped forward, holding a hand out in front of him "I just finished!" and turned red at the sound of his voice echoing through the hallway. He'd accidentally shouted.

Yusuke came to a stop and turned back, blushing slightly as the front of Artea's robe showed even more skin.

"Y-you might want to-" Yusuke mumbled something under his breath. Artea strained to hear, going so far as to lean forward.

"You might want to cover up!" Yusuke suddenly exclaimed, his body language turning rigid and his face was even redder.

Artea seemed confused at first but then looked down and saw his bathrobe becoming undone at the front. His face turned red and he ducked his head down while pulling his bathrobe around his body tightly. He mumbled something and hurried past Yusuke, his head ducked down in what looked like shame.

Yusuke whirled around after Artea and opened his mouth to call him back but the words died in his throat when he saw Artea literally running away from him. A dejected feeling took over him and he went into the bathroom, looking like a kicked puppy.

 _'Dammit, I messed up again!'_ Were both of their thoughts.


End file.
